11 Popular Beer Drinking Games: A Complete Guide

Alcohol-inspired games in some form have been around for almost as long as booze and bored people have coexisted. The earliest recorded drinking game dates back to ancient Greece in the 4^th and 5^th century BC, as partygoers would entertain themselves by flinging the dregs of their wine vessels across the room towards a target, which could be a bowl or a metal disc balanced on a stick. Despite being disturbingly messy, the game became enormously popular across the Mediterranean.

Drinking games, however, weren’t just a European thing. During the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), partyers in China amused themselves with a game called the Ale Rules. Players around a table would pull paddles from a container, which were either blank or inscribed with directives ordering specific individuals (such as the host or the oldest person) to drink. Blank paddles meant it was time for a break from drinking. Flash forward a thousand-plus years later, and drinking games based on throwing things around or following random commands continue to amuse partygoers. Beer-based games are especially popular, probably because beer is more affordable than hard liquor (and less likely to knock you unconscious after a few rounds). While these games can be big fun once in a while, play with caution as they’re not the best for your health.

One of the most familiar beer drinking games, beer pong’s basic rules are simple: Throw a ping-pong ball into a cup of beer. Then drink the contents of the cup. (Presumably, your ping-pong ball is relatively clean.) From here, however, rules can vary. In some versions, for instance, players must drink before they throw. Other versions involve team play and arrays of six to 10 cups. The game has even evolved into a formal tournament sport, with a long list of specifications for the type of ball and arrangement of cups to be used. (Most striking is the rule that tournament cups are to be filled with water and simply removed, rather than drunk from, after a hit.)

As you might have suspected, the game is thought to have originated on college campuses. During the 1960s and 1970s, ping-pong became a popular recreational activity, and ping-pong tables were a common fixture in dorm common areas and frat houses during this time. Add a keg, set it up somewhere near the ping-pong table, and you don’t need much imagination to predict what happens next. While popular legend credits students at Dartmouth University for inventing the game, numerous other schools claim credit too, but the most likely story is the game evolved organically at many learning institutions.

Beirut is either a close relative of beer pong or the exact same thing as beer pong, depending on whom you ask. Because the very definition is fluid, its history is as murky as players’ memories the morning after a game: It’s tricky to tell if all the potential origin stories for Beirut are in fact describing the same thing.

In one version of the story, Beirut is the direct ancestor of beer pong — like beer pong, it has its roots in the popularity of ping-pong and the easy availability of ping-pong balls and paddles. Beirut, according to this story, is a version of beer pong in which players hit balls into cups with a paddle instead of throwing them. Players later ditched the paddles for the simpler option of tossing the balls. Another origin story, however, gives a nearly opposite account: It was beer pong originally played with paddles, and Beirut evolved later with thrown balls. The name, according to this account, refers to the bombing of U.S. military barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the desire among some to bomb Beirut in retaliation. So which is it? The truth is likely long lost in a haze of drunken undergraduate memories, but we do know for sure that cups of beer and ping pong balls are central parts of it.

Do your short-term memory and physical coordination get a little shaky after a few drinks? Do you enjoy pushing yourself to your physical and mental limits? If so, thumper may be the drinking game for you. In this fast-paced game, players seated around a table — each with a bottle of beer or other beverage — begin by creating their own personal signs. These should be simple, unambiguous, and inoffensive gestures, such as a hand motion or facial expression.

Once all the players know all the signs, the game begins: Players thump their palms rhythmically against the table, then as they continue to thump, the starting player flashes their sign, then that of another player. That player then flashes their own sign, then that of a third player. If a player makes a mistake (by failing to see their sign or doing the wrong one), they (and if playing in teams, their teammates), must drink a third of their beer. Three strikes and you’re out. While it’s unclear how or when the game evolved, it got a PR boost from the 2006 movie “Beerfest”, which featured games of thumper.

Another drinking game with hazy origins, flip cup likely evolved from the same basic ingredients as beer pong: bored college students, cups of beer, and lots of free time. In the game, players chug a cup of beer (standardly, from a red plastic Solo cup), place the empty cup right-side up on the edge of a table, and then using one or two fingers, attempt to flip the cup 180 degrees so it lands upside down.

While flip cup almost certainly started with a bunch of students goofing off, it has since evolved into a hardcore competitive sport, with rules, corporate sponsors, and generous prizes that can include resort vacations. Serious players have identified a set of best practices for success. For instance, just get the beer in your mouth — don’t worry about swallowing it all right away — before you flip. Also, set your cup on the table with one hand and flip with the other in a single motion. For an accurate flip, position the first two knuckles of your middle finger (or middle and index fingers) against the bottom rim of the cup, which should hang just off the edge of the table. But be warned: Flip cup is not only a hard game to master, it’s the drinking game that will get you intoxicated the fastest. So it might be wise to opt for a light beer for gameplay and save your intensely flavored, high-proof brews for other occasions.

This game with a festive name is quick to learn but tricky to master. The rules are simple: Players sit in a circle with their drinks and go around the circle counting to 21 — the first person says “one”, the next says “two”, and so on. When the count reaches 21, everyone drinks, and the player who hits 21 says “Cheers to the governor!” and makes up a rule that everyone must follow for the rest of the game. (For example, he or she can declare that when the count reaches five, the player must clap, dance, or say the name of an animal instead of the number itself.) In the next round, the count begins again at one with the new rule in place.

The more rounds you play, the more rules everyone has to remember. Anyone who forgets a rule, performs the wrong rule, or loses count must take a drink, at which point the count starts again at one. Depending on who you’re playing with and how long you’re playing, the game can get seriously complicated fast. For instance, players can implement a rule that the count goes backward when you hit a certain number, or that players who hesitate too long to remember a rule must take a drink.

If the idea of a drinking game that requires thought or strategy is a bridge too far for you, ring of fire, also known as king’s cup, may be the game you’re looking for: All you have to do is pick cards, follow directions, and drink.

The game starts with a deck of cards arranged face down in a circle around a glass, which is empty at the start of the game. Players seated around the table with their drinks take turns picking cards. Each number or rank represents an instruction for someone to drink. For instance, an ace means everyone should keep drinking until the person who picked the card stops, a four means all women at the table must drink, and a king means the person who picked the card must pour a bit of their drink into the center cup. Critically, the person who draws the last king must drink the contents of the center cup. (If you’re offering a wide assortment of drinks at your party, the contents of the center cup can get … interesting.) The game as we know it most likely emerged in the United States. in the late 19^th century when strong liquor like whiskey and card games were both popular, but it bears a close resemblance to many much-older drinking games, such as the 6^th-century Chinese game Ale Rules.

Despite its name, you don’t need to be drunk to play drunk waiter — some versions of the game don’t involve any alcohol at all. With or without beer or other booze of your choice, though, the end goal is the same: to watch your friends stagger around hilariously while attempting to carry a tray of liquid-filled cups across the yard. (They’ll also get to watch you do the same.)

For reasons soon to become clear, this is an exclusively outdoors game best played on a soft, absorbent lawn. Each player spins around ten times and/or drinks a shot, then attempts to carry the tray across the playing space. In most cases, some or all of the cups (or the player) will end up falling. In some versions of the game, players must stop and drink the remaining contents of any cup that tips over. It can involve as much or as little booze as you and your friends can handle, and for an extra challenge, you can have players navigate an obstacle course rather than attempt to walk a straight line.

Quarters is another classic throwing game. The basic goal is to bounce a quarter against the surface of the playing table and into a beer cup or shot glass. From here, however, the rules can vary wildly. In one version, players take turns trying to bounce their quarters into a single glass in the middle of the table.  If your bounce is successful, you get to ask one of the other players to drink, and you also get another turn. If you’re lucky enough to bounce your quarter into the cup three times in a row, you get to make up a rule that everyone is sure to violate, such as an edict against saying the word “quarter.” From that point on, violators must drink — for spectators, this is where the fun begins.

Other versions, however, have more complicated structures involving multiple target cups and a penalty cup filled with beer or other booze. In these versions, players who repeatedly fail to bounce their quarters into the goal cup have to drink the contents of the penalty cup, which is then refilled. Like most drinking games, quarters can’t be traced back to any single inventor, but versions of it could have easily popped up anywhere people had both coins and empty drinks in front of them.

If your drinking buddies can’t decide whether they’re in the mood for beer pong, quarters, or flip cup, organize a game of chandelier, a beer-fueled mashup of all three classic games. The game setup starts with an empty cup positioned upside down in the middle of the playing table with a full cup of beer poised on top of it. Players position themselves around the table with cups filled about a third of the way with beer. They then take turns trying to bounce (not simply toss) a ping-pong ball into the center cup.

If a player successfully lands the ball in the center cup, all players must play a quick round of flip cup — they chug the drinks in front of them, then attempt to flip their empty cups so they’re upside down on the table. The last player to flip their cup successfully must drink the contents of the center cup. There’s also a good chance a bounced ball can end up in a player’s personal cup, and if that happens, the owner of that cup must drink its contents.

For many of us, a round of board games and a few drinks with friends would be the makings of a perfect weekend evening. Therefore, it was almost inevitable that someone would take the combo a step further and incorporate drinks into the game itself. Beer checkers is an example of this idea in action — it’s nothing more than regular checkers played with shot glasses halfway filled with beer instead of regular checkers. Whenever a player captures a piece (in this case, a glass of beer), they drink its contents, and whenever a piece (glass) is promoted to king, it gets filled to the top with beer.

As with most drinking games, beer checkers has numerous variations. In some versions of the game, players drink every time they move or whenever one of their pieces becomes a king. The game is popular enough that you can find specialized beer checkers sets, complete with a board and two sets of contrasting shot glasses for playing pieces.

Most adults are aware of two indisputable truths: One, after a few drinks, inhibitions can go out the window; and two, the harder you try not to laugh, the more likely you are to laugh uncontrollably. These principles are the driving force behind straight face. The simple game requires nothing more than a few slips of paper, a writing implement, and enough drinks for all the players.

Each player gets a slip of paper and writes down a sentence or short passage of their choice. It could be anything, but the crazier the better — its purpose is to make the others crack up. Once everyone has written their passages, players each choose a written slip at random and take turns reading what they have while attempting to keep a straight face. Any reader — or listener — who laughs or smiles must take a drink. As you may imagine, there will likely be a lot of drinking.